We Have Been Called — Will We Respond?

Why Jesus came

In today’s readings, we are reminded of our own holiness. St. Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish…

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Beg and Believe

Bartimaeus and his path to achieving a goal

Turn to God. Today’s Gospel invites us to practice confidence in the power of grace. In the first reading, we encounter the suffering of Job. We catch him at a moment when he seems to be at a loss. “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me!…

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Family First

The Importance of the Family Unit

The family is the building block of society. In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes a plug for the family. He enters the city of Nain and encounters a mother carrying out her son’s burial. The scene also chooses to give the reader another detail: the mother is a widow. But why? In these three details, we…

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Christus Vivit

A woman praying in front of the eucharist monstrance

“Speak, for your servant is listening (NABRE, 1 Sam 3:10). In today’s Gospel, we encounter Jesus’ words. They command the obedience of a demon and the attention of the crowd (Lk 4:32.36). His words leave the people stunned: “What is there about his word?” (Lk 4:36). What If? Now, what if we were there? What…

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Show Them Jesus

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

On October 9, 1859, a young girl by the name of Adele Brise encountered a beautifullady “clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. She had a crown ofstars around her head, and her long golden wavy hair fell loosely over her shoulders”(https://championshrine.org/our-story/). Adele asked the meaning behind the lady’s visit.The woman…

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Bearing Witness to Him Who Was, Is, and Always Will Be

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

During the reign of Licinius in the 4th century, forty Christian men refused to offerworship to the pagan gods. As a consequence, the authorities ordered the men to bestripped of their garments and thrown onto a frozen lake to die. Yet, any of thecondemned who denied the Christian faith would be offered a blanket and…

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Become a Little One

Embracing Childlike Wonder: Like Little Child

When I saw the fireworks this year. I was mesmerized. Little “stars” would shoot up high into the sky and dance their little dance. They dazzled as they popped. Colors, shapes, and lights of all sorts lit up the night. “Do it again,” my soul would say. “Do it again.” Another set of fireworks would…

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Become Divinized

Encountering the Real Presence: Holy Eucharist and St. Thomas

History marks itself as pilgrims walk to accompany Jesus across the United States. It is not for some odd reason. In 16 days, more than 100,000 pilgrims will gather in Indianapolis, Indiana, to adore, praise, and petition Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is fitting then that we should celebrate the feast of St. Thomas…

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Bearing Fruit — Fruit that Will Last

A conversation on virtue

It is never too late; a conversation on virtue “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some…

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